Children's home run by Area Camden Limited

Inspection report children’s home: 1272461 1 Registered provider: Area Camden Ltd

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Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned by a limited company. It provides care for up to four children and young people. In its statement of purpose, the provider states that it provides care for children and young people with emotional and/or behavioural difficulties.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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good

How well children and young people are helped and protected good

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good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers good

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good

The children’s home provides effective services that meet the requirements for good.

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good

Overall judgement at last inspection: sustained effectiveness

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good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 1272461 2

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

06/03/2019 Interim Sustained effectiveness 05/11/2018 Full Good Inspection report children’s home: 1272461 3

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The education standard is that children make measurable progress towards achieving their educational potential and are helped to do so.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

help each child to achieve the child’s education and training targets, as recorded in the child’s relevant plans. (Regulation 8(1)(2)(a)(i)) 01/05/2020

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

promotes their welfare. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(b))

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Requirement Due date

In particular, that the registered person obtains full information about children at the point of referral and that managers are fully involved in the home’s placement referral process. 01/05/2020

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Requirement Due date

The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and promotes their welfare.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13(1)(a)(2)(h)) 01/05/2020 Inspection report children’s home: 1272461 4 In particular, the registered person must ensure that staffs recording of information is of a high standard. This relates to care plans, and young people’s independent living booklets. The registered person may only use devices for the monitoring or surveillance of children if—

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is for the purpose of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child concerned, or other children;

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Requirement Due date

the child’s placing authority consents in writing to the monitoring or surveillance;

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Requirement Due date

so far as reasonably practicable in the light of the child’s age and understanding, the child is informed in advance of the intention to do the monitoring or surveillance; and

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Requirement Due date

the monitoring or surveillance is no more intrusive than necessary, having regard to the child’s need for privacy. (Regulation 24(1)(a)(b)(c)(d)) 01/05/2020

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Most children and young people achieve good outcomes and their experiences are largely positive. They share a good relationship with the staff team. Other children and young people do not make good use of their placements and so do not make significant progress.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people receive individualised care. However, managers do not always obtain full information from placing authorities at the point of referral. This means that at times, key details about children and young people are missing.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

The registered manager is not sufficiently involved in the organisation’s placement referral process. This does not ensure that the home is able to meet children and young people’s needs fully.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people’s learning outcomes are variable. Some attend school regularly and are making good progress. Other children and young people do not engage with their education and so their learning outcomes are not positive.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Older young people take part in an independent skills programme. This is to help prepare them for adulthood. However, staff do not evaluate the degree to which young people accomplish practical daily skills. This makes it difficult to chart the actual progress young people are making. Inspection report children’s home: 1272461 5 Children and young people live healthy lives. Staff ensure that they receive appropriate medical care, advice and treatment. Children and young people access specialist support as required. This ensures that their health needs, including mental health support needs, are well met.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people have good opportunities to share their views about the home. They take part in consultation activities and regularly attend residents’ meetings. Children and young people know how to make complaints, but do not feel the need to do so.

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Overall experiences and progress of children and young people: good

Children and young people are treated with dignity and respect, and their identity needs are met. Staff have created a display highlighting different religious festivals. Staff involve children and young people in preparing traditional dishes from around the world. Children and young people attend places of worship if they wish to do so. They work on memorabilia books, which they take when they leave the home.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children and young people are protected from harm and abuse. Risk assessments, however, do not always fully highlight potential risks. For example, risk assessments do not outline the risks posed to children that staff suspect have learning difficulties. This risk increases the level of vulnerability for these children.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Some children and young people are frequently missing or absent from the home without permission. This is of concern. Staff devise strategies to help curb this risky behaviour; however, these are largely ineffective. A child’s social worker said, ‘I am concerned about the level of missing episodes and do feel that more could have been done in terms of risk assessments and actions for staff to undertake.’

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Staff receive training in child protection. Staff are familiar with safeguarding policies and demonstrate a good understanding of safeguarding protocols. Staff’s supervision of children and young people is good. Since the last inspection, there have been no incidents of bullying, restraint, accidents or allegations against staff.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Children and young people said that they feel safe and would readily approach staff if they had any concerns. Since the last inspection, there has been one complaint made by a child. This was promptly and appropriately managed.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

The recruitment of staff is in line with safe recruitment procedures. This confirms that all staff are suitable to work with vulnerable children and young people. There is a sufficient number of staff to help meet the needs of children and young people.

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How well children and young people are helped and protected: good

Managers and staff have effective links with the local authority and safeguarding professionals. Managers and staff are consistent in their communication with other professionals about safeguarding concerns. Inspection report children’s home: 1272461 6 The home’s physical environment is excellent. The premises are well decorated and furnished and maintained to a very high standard. The premises are safe and secure and there are no health and safety concerns.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers prioritise the needs of children and young people. The outcomes for most children and young people improve from their starting points and their experiences are positive. However, some children and young people do not make good use of their placements.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The quality of record-keeping is inconsistent. For example, placement plans are vague. These are not explicit in outlining the progress children and young people make. Plans do not outline time frame s for goals to be achieved. Young people’s independent living booklets do not evaluate their skill levels.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Staff’s use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) is not in line with recent Ofsted guidance. Managers and staff do not regularly review whether the use of CCTV is warranted. For example, there is a sufficient number of staff on all shifts, and incidents in the home are rare. Therefore, the use of CCTV under these circumstances is questionable.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Leaders and managers have an ambitious vision for the service and have high expectations for what children and young people can achieve. The registered manager is well qualified and experienced to manage the team.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team has changed since the last inspection, as there have been a number of new appointments. Staff induction and training are comprehensive. This equips staff with sound knowledge and skills which help them to meet children and young people’s needs.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

The staff team receives good support and supervision from managers and other leaders. Managers conduct staff appraisals annually. Staff said that that they appreciate the managers’ open-door policy and feel that their views and opinions are taken seriously.

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The effectiveness of leaders and managers: good

Children and young people benefit from staff’s close working relationships with the professionals that are involved in their lives. A social worker said, ‘The staff are always very polite. They keep their logs up to date and they email these over frequently. They keep in touch daily if there is a missing episode.’

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people. Inspectors considered the quality of work and the differences made to the lives of children and young people. They watched how professional staff work with children and young people and each other and discussed the effectiveness of help and care provided. Wherever possible, they talked to children and young people and their families. In addition, the inspectors have tried to understand what the children’s home knows Inspection report children’s home: 1272461 7 about how well it is performing, how well it is doing and what difference it is making for the children and young people whom it is trying to help, protect and look after.

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Information about this inspection

Using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’, this inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 1272461 8

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: 1 Turnpike Lane, London N8 0EP

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Children’s home details

Responsible individual: Nuala Harrington

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Inspectors

Sandra Jacobs-Walls, social care inspector Patrick Sullivan, social care inspector Inspection report children’s home: 1272461 9 achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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